In her show Our Footsteps are all Entrances, Petersen will perform soundscapes accompanying recorded readings of 10 poems by McQueen herself from her Homing In collection.
The violin soundscapes have been composed by 2014-15 University of Otago Mozart fellow Jeremy Mayall, whom Petersen had worked with on the multi-sensory work Flutter and experimental work Journeys, along with Martyn Roberts.
Enjoying the experience of letting her imagination run wild, and Mayall’s infectious creativity, Petersen asked him to write a soundscape work to enhance the poetry of McQueen.
Homing In was McQueen’s first volume of poetry, published in 1982, and featured many poems based in the Otago landscape.
Mayall chose 10 poems to compose a "fixed soundtrack" for, and McQueen herself agreed to read the poems — presenting the "hero dish" of the overall work.
As the recorded voice is fixed, the violin line must work around its framework, blend and synchronise with the tape.
Mayall has also composed a series of brief solo violin interludes, of about a minute each, to weave the individual poems together into a cohesive whole.
"I really liked the idea of the violin being part of the soundtrack, and so I didn’t want the focus to be on me — I needed another form of media for the audience," Petersen said.
"It is very important that the poetry is at the forefront, but also to create the right atmosphere for the poetry to sit in."
Enter lighting and projection specialist Martyn Roberts, who has created a visual element for the show, using landscapes of Otago imagery created by Caroline Davies.
The sound technology would be managed by Stephen Stedman, making the show a "real team effort", Petersen said.
"The work has really taken on a life of its own, thanks to this wonderful team of creative people."
Our Footsteps are all Entrances is on this Saturday, March 27, at 5.30pm and again at 8pm, at the new recording studio at the School of Performing Arts, as part of the Dunedin Fringe Festival.
Tickets are limited to 50 for each show.
